Articles on: Cloud Storage

How do I sync files across devices?

Connect Scriptation to a cloud provider — Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud — and your scripts and notes sync automatically across your iPad, iPhone, and Mac.


📝 NOTE: This video shows a slightly older user interface, but the instructions are still accurate.


📝 NOTE: Cloud Storage is an Industry Pro feature.


✅ TIP: Only files stored inside one of your connected cloud folders will sync across devices. Files in On My iPad / On My iPhone, on the Desktop, or in the Downloads folder won't sync.


✅ TIP: Although iCloud works well, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive offer version-controlled saving, which creates a new restorable copy after every save. iCloud doesn't offer this backup.


Of the four options, we primarily recommend using Dropbox, since it's the most reliable for syncing and lets you restore previous versions of your files if you ever accidentally lose your work. While iCloud is the easiest to set up (no separate account needed), it's the option we recommend the least, as it tends to be the least reliable for syncing — especially with larger files — and doesn't offer version backups.


📝 NOTE: Scriptation doesn't have its own server that syncs your files — that's handled by your chosen cloud provider.


Cloud setup on iPad / iPhone


Touch the File Browser icon on the Top Toolbar:


For iCloud, you're already logged in via your Apple ID — see How do I sync with iCloud cloud storage? for setup.


For Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, tap Add Connection:



Select a cloud provider and sign in with that account's username and password. You can add as many cloud connections as you need.



Your files and annotations save to whichever location you choose. To use the same files on another device, sign in to the same cloud account there.


For step-by-step setup of each provider, see:



Next, move or copy your local files into your cloud folder so they're available across devices.


Cloud setup on Mac


On Mac, there's no in-app cloud sign-on — Scriptation reads files directly from macOS Finder. If you use Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud, your folders are visible after clicking Select File from the Scriptation for Mac home screen.


📝 NOTE: On Mac, third-party apps like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive need to be downloaded from their respective websites first.


📝 NOTE: The Connections section for cloud storage that appears on iPad/iPhone does not exist on Mac — that's why an existing iCloud (or other cloud) library won't automatically show up inside the Mac app. Instead, locate your cloud folder in Finder and add it as a Favorite Folder within Scriptation for quick access going forward. See Where are Cloud storage folders on Mac? and Favorite Folders on Scriptation for Mac for details.


To pin your cloud folder as a Favorite Folder for quick access instead:


  1. From Scriptation's home screen, click the Add button next to Favorite folders under My files (not the Select file button in the Open file section above);
  2. Navigate to your cloud folder in the Finder window (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, etc.);
  3. Click Open.


See Favorite Folders on Scriptation for Mac for more details.



By navigating through the Finder window, you can access all of your cloud folders:



⚠️ DON'T FORGET: If your scripts are saved locally (Desktop, Downloads, etc.), you won't be able to access them on other devices. Move the files into one of your cloud folders.


Syncing between iPad and Mac


Mac works a little differently than iPad, so here's the step-by-step for getting a file synced between the two:


  1. On your iPad, open the File Browser and make sure your script is stored inside a connected cloud folder (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive) — not under On My iPad. If it's currently under On My iPad, long-press the file and Copy it into your cloud folder.
  2. On your Mac, open Scriptation and click Select File from the home screen.
  3. In the Finder window that opens, navigate to your cloud provider (for iCloud, that's iCloud Drive > Scriptation — this dedicated folder is auto-created on first use and syncs with your iPad).
  4. Select the PDF file you want to open (not the folder itself) and click Open.


Once opened this way, the file and all its annotations will match what's on your iPad. To skip navigating to that folder every time, pin it as a Favorite Folder (see above).


📝 NOTE: Being signed into the same Apple ID on Mac and iPad carries your Industry Pro subscription across devices, but it doesn't sync files on its own — files only sync through a shared, connected cloud folder as described above.


When editing the same file across a Mac, multiple iPads, and/or an iPhone, work on one device at a time and let it finish syncing before switching devices — editing the same file on two devices at once can create a "conflicted copy." See How do I avoid conflicted copies with multiple devices of my own?


Syncing between iPad and iPhone


Since Cloud Storage is Industry Pro's cross-device syncing method, iPad and iPhone sync exactly the same way — through a shared cloud folder:


Since Cloud Storage is Industry Pro's cross-device syncing method, iPad and iPhone sync exactly the same way — through a shared cloud folder:


  1. Make sure both your iPad and iPhone have an active Industry Pro subscription.
  2. On each device, connect to the same cloud provider account (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive) via the File Browser's Add Connection option.
  3. Store your scripts inside that cloud folder — files saved under On My iPad or On My iPhone are local to that device and won't sync.


Once set up, any file (and its annotations) saved to the cloud folder on one device will be available on the other. For the smoothest experience, switch tabs or close the file on one device before opening it on the other, so your latest changes have time to sync.


✅ TIP: Confirming that both devices are signed into the same Apple ID (or cloud account) is a good first step, but it only carries your Industry Pro subscription across devices — it doesn't move files between them. Files still only sync through a shared, connected cloud folder; there's no automatic cross-device file sync beyond that.


📝 NOTE: Custom Stamps and Saved Annotations are stored locally per device and don't sync through the cloud. See Can I sync my Custom Stamps and Saved Annotations across devices? for a workaround.


Importing files directly to the cloud


You only need to move/copy a file into a cloud folder if it was originally imported into On My iPad / On My iPhone. After that one-time move, as long as you keep opening the file from its cloud folder, your edits will keep syncing on their own.


Blank imports on Mac


If you import a script directly into Scriptation for Mac and it comes in blank (missing annotations from your iPad), you likely imported a fresh copy of the original PDF instead of opening the already-synced file. Your annotations live inside the Scriptation file itself, so to see your iPad's work on Mac, open the same synced file from your cloud folder via Select File — don't re-import the original PDF.


Sharing a synced folder without a Scriptation login


You don't need to sign into Scriptation itself to sync files (Scriptation sign-in, added in version 6.0, is only used for cross-device extras like AI Voices, not for file sync). This is useful if you want to share scripts with someone on a device you don't control the Apple ID for (e.g. a child's iPad on a kid's account): simply connect both devices to the same cloud account (e.g. the same Dropbox account) instead of relying on the same Apple ID. Keep in mind that once a cloud account is connected, Scriptation's File Browser can navigate anywhere within it — there's no way to restrict access to a single subfolder within the app. To fully restrict access to only certain files, use a separate cloud account containing just those files.


What's Next


Moving or copying your files to the cloud


Since Scriptation on Mac works directly with your files in Finder rather than storing them inside the app, create folders for your projects the same way you would for anything else on your Mac — right inside your cloud storage folder in Finder. For example, create a folder named after your project inside iCloud > Scriptation (or your Dropbox/Google Drive/OneDrive folder), then move your scripts into it. The Recent Files list inside Scriptation is just a set of shortcuts to files you've recently opened — the files themselves live in your cloud folder, so once you organize them into a project folder in Finder, they'll show up there going forward.


What's Next


Moving or copying your files to the cloud


Moving or copying your files to the cloud
How often do files upload / sync to cloud?
How do I avoid conflicted copies with multiple devices of my own?

Updated on: 04/08/2026

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